In Locking Up Our Own, author James Forman Jr. offers historical background to the U.S. War on Crime's aggressive policing and long criminal sentences. African American leaders welcomed these approaches, which began in the 1970s, but now they seem to be disproportionately targeting poor black men. Forman, a Yale law professor and former public defender, offers an "important new perspective" (Kirkus Reviews) on combating drugs and violent crime.

During the first few months of World War II, Britain became the operations center for several continental governments in exile. Their ability to exchange information and coordinate efforts with each other, British officials, and Free French champion Charles de Gaulle enhanced the Allies' strategies against the Axis powers. This well-researched history reads like a spy thriller, chronicling mishaps and triumphs in terms of the individuals involved.

How does a feminist reconcile her desire to succeed with the negative social connotations associated with "ambition"? This volume assembles essays on the topic penned by a socially, professionally, and ethnically diverse selection of women, including the well-known (Francine Prose, Molly Ringwald, Roxane Gay) and the less famous (psychologist and mother Yael Chatav Schonbrun, dogsledder Blair Braverman). Double Bind provides a thought-provoking measurement of the pulse of today's feminism.

Casual conversations about health care often turn to its cost and inaccessibility, the difficulty of dealing with insurance companies, and personal horror stories. In An American Sickness, journalist Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD, employs an informal style to explain how the American medical-industrial complex evolved to this point. Want more on this subject? Try Otis Brawley's How We Do Harm and Wendell Potter's Deadly Spin.

Drawing on written sources and interviews with veterans and families of personnel who died, Enduring Vietnam evokes the war, the politics that swirled around it, its unpopularity on the home front, and -- poignantly -- the experiences of those most involved. This powerful reminder of the conflict's grim legacy will be especially compelling to members of the Baby Boom generation.

North Korea has been prominent in the news lately, but few people outside Korea know the history of the ancient country now divided into two nations. In The Korean War, historian Bruce Cumings presents the culture and politics that underlie the hostilities touched off in June 1950. This is a good time to read up on Korean history and learn more about what motivates the North Korean leadership.

In June 1972, burglars broke into the Democratic National Committee's headquarters in the Watergate office building in Washington, DC. As evidence emerged that the burglary was connected to the White House, Watergate came to symbolize the unraveling of Richard Nixon's presidency. In this historic page-turner, former White House Counsel John Dean chronicles the slow-motion disaster that ended with Nixon's unprecedented resignation from the presidency in 1974.

The launch of the Montgolfier brothers' balloon in the French Alps on June 4, 1783, marked the beginning of human flight. Tracing the subsequent history of ballooning enthusiasts, author Richard Holmes introduces aerial pioneers whose motives range from scientific discovery to military applications to exploration -- and even poetry. If aeronautics fascinates you, take flight with the engaging prose of Falling Upwards.

Featuring the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division (nicknamed the Big Red One), The Dead and Those About to Die vividly details the June 6, 1944 assault on German strongholds on Normandy's coast. Drawing on personal testimony and official records, military historian John McManus provides a gripping soldier's-eye view that reveals how close the invasion came to failing and highlights the heroic sacrifices that won the day.

In this well-researched account of the Battle of Waterloo, historian Brendan Simms reviews Napoleon's campaigns up to Waterloo, then spotlights a specific location in the sprawling conflict: La Haye Sainte farmhouse. His narrative provides riveting close-ups of the fighters' intense efforts on both sides. Military history buffs will find Simms' focus intriguing; for another unusual perspective on Waterloo, try David Crane's Went the Day Well?